meaning

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 10 – God 2 (Atheism) – Part 6: What has God done for you lately?

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We keep looking for proof of God, hoping for a sign, a miracle. But miracles always come with alternative explanations—remission, coincidence, intervention, or just plain luck. What we call a miracle often depends more on what we already believe than on what actually happened. If God is acting in the world, why are the miracles so selective, so personal, and so ambiguous? A God who could make things clear, but doesn’t, begins to look indistinguishable from one who isn’t there at all. Atheism, for some, doesn’t come from hostility, but from exhaustion—from waiting, hoping, and hearing nothing back. Why is evidence so hard to find? And if God doesn’t exist, why are humans so good at finding meaning anyway?

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 10 – God 2 (Atheism) – Part 5: Do you believe in Santa Claus?

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Freud suggested that religion, much like the story of Santa Claus, isn’t necessarily a harmful lie, but an illusion born of need. It provides structure to chaos, comfort in the face of an unpredictable world, and offers a cosmic parent figure to protect us. Religion, then, is a psychological shelter—something that helps us cope with our existential fears. As societies evolve, the gods evolve with them—goddesses became gods, and the authority of the divine mirrored shifts in social power. Freud’s sharp insight: belief in God isn’t always about truth—it’s about reassurance. But if God were invented, not discovered, what does that say about the universe, and about ourselves?

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 09 – God 1 (Theism) – Part 7: Summary – What’s your favorite color?

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The question isn’t whether we believe in God, but whether we recognize that God believes in us. Whether we’re believers or nonbelievers, the idea of God shows up in our values, our sense of meaning, and our relationships. The light doesn’t vanish because we describe it differently; it shines through in our actions, our resistance to meaninglessness, and our capacity for love. Whether we pray, doubt, or live quietly, the essence of God might not be in belief, but in the life we create and the love we give.

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